Volunteers work to undo Harvey’s damage at SE Houston park

April 28, 2018: Volunteers Dalia Elbihi and her father Faycal Elbihi dig holes for new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie ... more

April 28, 2018: Volunteers Dalia Elbihi and her father Faycal Elbihi dig holes for new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

Photo: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Freelancer / For the Chronicle

2 of 19

April 28, 2018: Volunteers Sally Sugrim, Tiffany Spence and Cyndi Adams of Southwest Airlines gather saplings on their way to the designated area for planting during the Student Conservation Association ... more

April 28, 2018: Volunteers Sally Sugrim, Tiffany Spence and Cyndi Adams of Southwest Airlines gather saplings on their way to the designated area for planting during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

April 28, 2018: Volunteer Enid Mayer of Grocers Supply cuts a hole in black landscaping material to make way for a new tree during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby ... more

April 28, 2018: Volunteer Enid Mayer of Grocers Supply cuts a hole in black landscaping material to make way for a new tree during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

Photo: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Freelancer / For the Chronicle

5 of 19

April 28, 2018: Volunteer Rob Mayer digs a hole for a new tree during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance

Photo: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Freelancer / For the Chronicle

6 of 19

April 28, 2018: Volunteer Rad Bowman of Grocer Supply digs a hole in the designated area for new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. ... more

April 28, 2018: Volunteer Rad Bowman of Grocer Supply digs a hole in the designated area for new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

Photo: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Freelancer / For the Chronicle

7 of 19

April 28, 2018: Chantay Finnels and Briana Garrett dig holes and plant new trees in a designated area during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. ... more

April 28, 2018: Chantay Finnels and Briana Garrett dig holes and plant new trees in a designated area during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

Photo: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Freelancer / For the Chronicle

8 of 19

April 28, 2018: Volunteer Agueda Sequeira of Grocer Supply stays hydrated as she gathers tools for planting new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in ... more

April 28, 2018: Volunteer Agueda Sequeira of Grocer Supply stays hydrated as she gathers tools for planting new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

Photo: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Freelancer / For the Chronicle

9 of 19

April 28, 2018: Volunteer RaiAnna Greens prepares a sapling for planting in the designated area during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. ... more

April 28, 2018: Volunteer RaiAnna Greens prepares a sapling for planting in the designated area during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

Photo: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Freelancer / For the Chronicle

10 of 19

April 28, 2018: Volunteers participate by digging holes and planting new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza ... more

April 28, 2018: Volunteers participate by digging holes and planting new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

Photo: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Freelancer / For the Chronicle

11 of 19

April 28, 2018: Volunteers work in a designated area digging holes and planting new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie ... more

April 28, 2018: Volunteers work in a designated area digging holes and planting new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

Photo: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Freelancer / For the Chronicle

12 of 19

April 28, 2018: Designated areas for planting new trees are covered in black landscaping material during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. ... more

April 28, 2018: Designated areas for planting new trees are covered in black landscaping material during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

Photo: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Freelancer / For the Chronicle

13 of 19

April 28, 2018: Wide view of designated area for planting new trees is marked off for volunteers during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. ... more

April 28, 2018: Wide view of designated area for planting new trees is marked off for volunteers during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

Photo: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Freelancer / For the Chronicle

14 of 19

April 28, 2018: Young pine trees populate an area designated for new plantings during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza ... more

April 28, 2018: Young pine trees populate an area designated for new plantings during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

Photo: Leslie Plaza Johnson, Freelancer / For the Chronicle

15 of 19

April 28, 2018: Garbage washes up on the Sims Bayou shoreline as volunteers plant new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie ... more

April 28, 2018: Garbage washes up on the Sims Bayou shoreline as volunteers plant new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

April 28, 2018: K'Shel Bell, a Houston Parks and Recreation intern and Stephen F. Austin University student, oversees volunteers during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at ... more

April 28, 2018: Frankie Buggs of Mitsubishi International Corporation digs a hole in the designated area for planting new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby ... more

April 28, 2018: Frankie Buggs of Mitsubishi International Corporation digs a hole in the designated area for planting new trees during the Student Conservation Association recovery and cleanup project at Milby Park in Houston, Texas. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Freelance less

Determined to undo the damage of Hurricane Harvey, a team of volunteers took to Charles H. Milby Park in southeast Houston on Saturday to remove litter from trees, clear plastics from the nearby Sims Bayou and replant hundreds of native shrubs washed away by floodwater.

About 60 people planted 260 trees during the sequel to a 2016 clean-up event at the park, which was left underwater after Harvey.

“Sometimes it’s a little ‘two steps forward, one step back’, but we can’t lose track of the fact that we’re still moving forward,” said Marsha Towns, a director at the Student Conservation Association.

Floodwaters can easily erode the banks next to the bayou when trees are sparse, and pollutants run off through the grass into the water, according to Kelli Ondracek, natural resources manager for the Houston Parks and Recreation Department.

Along with planting more than 30 species of trees, volunteers picked up litter and plastics. When the water rises, the plastic rises with it, but when the water recedes, the plastic gets stuck in the trees, Town said.

“It’s like Christmas in a horrible, ugly way,” SCA alum Amanda Hughes-Horan said while holding a dirty plastic bread bag she found.

Houston has become more aware of the importance of green space, according to Hughes-Horan, who has worked in Oregon with spotted owls and been at the Texas Parks and Wildlife for many years. She said she believes that the outdoors are an excellent place to learn about the importance of helping the environment.

“There’s these hidden intangible benefits of feeling better when you get in the outdoors,” Hughes-Horan said. “It’s a wonderful place to educate because people aren’t sitting in a classroom being lectured. They’re out having fun.”

Hughes-Horan said that there’s a disconnection between kids and the outdoors because a lot of them haven’t gotten the opportunity to spend time in it. She said clean-up projects like this help them discover the value of nature.

“Once they value it, things change and they want more of it,” Hughes-Horan said. “Their eyes light up. They really have a great, fun time.”

Dalmath Kandolo and Chelsea Nguyen, juniors in Alief ISD, had originally been skeptical about volunteering, but Kandolo said they had a realization that it was a good way to spend their time. The girls were digging a hole to plant another tree, and said the movies did not show them how hard this kind of work could be.

Nine-year-old Tearalynn Wiltz said her favorite part of volunteering was playing with a caterpillar, and her father Terry Wiltz said his was showing her how great the outdoors is.

“We want to be able to connect young people to the outdoors because there tremendous mental, spiritual and physical health benefits,” Towns said.

To teach their 7- and 4-year-old girls the value of being helpful, Faycal and Adrianna Elbihi started volunteering. They believe it is a way to give back to society and help the environment.

“We don’t want them to be sitting at home all the time,” Faycal said. “We want them to be outside in the fresh air.”

The SCA provides college interns work experience alongside Houston Parks and Recreation employees, and senior forestry major at Stephen F. Austin University K’shel Bell was excited to be part of her first project for the group.

“I saw this as a really big opportunity to get in the outdoors,” Bell said. “This is my first time being a leader. We’re just having fun, planting trees.”

Houston Parks and Recreation chose Milby as a pilot project for helping parks affected by flooding, and they are looking to restore every park next to a bayou, according to Ondracek.

“They’re giving back to the community because it’s important to them, but also it’s important to us because we want to build and strengthen our communities,” Towns said.